- In February with the sinking of Felicity Ace 189 Bentley cars of Bentley were also lost in the nothingness of the sea.
- Bentley’s CEO quickly released a plan to supply the 189 cars that sank in the sea to its customers in the next 6 months.
- Adrian Hallmark along with his team immediately got to work as soon as they got the news.
Huge loss
Bentley sold 4,212 vehicles in the Americas in 2021, so 189 represented a significant chunk of the brand’s business. In Crewe, Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark and his global team quickly got to work, even as the Felicity Ace was still burning as reported by Automotive News.
Favorable global conditions
“Bentley’s global regional directors quickly crafted a replacement scheme for the brand’s biggest market. And global conditions elsewhere helped a plan come together. Based on the demand situation in other parts of the world, we were able to immediately grab production slots,” Rocco said.
China stepping up
“China stepped up and said, We’re seeing less demand; we can help you with some cars. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we stopped imports of cars and parts into Russia and those order slots opened up. So we were able to react and pivot very quickly,” Rocco said.
Fire extinguished
After burning for several days the fire on Felicity Ace was finally extinguished on February 25, and the first salvage crew went in hoping to secure the vessel and get it towed to a safe harbor.
Cargo unknown
On March 1 at about 9a.m. local time the felicity ace while under tow, sank in rough waters about 230 miles south of the Azores. It is believed to rest some 2 miles below the surface. Whether the final disposition of its cargo stayed within the ship or scattered across the seafloor- remains unknown.
Plan already in motion
“We already have a plan to replace the bulk of the sunken Bentaygas, Continentals, Flying Spurs and Mulliner-built coaches within six months. We’ve promised those customers, and we’re doing some clever things with dealers to keep [those customers] mobile, which I won’t talk about,” Hallmark said on March 17.
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Source:- Automotive News
